Generation Zero
by casablanca-sucked
Summary: The lives of the generation that came before Generation 1. It follows Zane, Ruby, Liam, Warren, Simon, Violet, Quinn, Ben and Bela throughout their time at Roundview. Cameo appearances from the other gens. Multi-chapter.
1. Episode 1: Zane

**Episode 1: Zane**

Like a hammer hitting a nail Zane's father's hand pounded on his bedroom door. "Get out of bed you lazy arse!" he shouted through the oak door.

Zane groaned from under his pillow and rolled out of bed. His dark, curly hair was more disheveled than usual and there were bags under his dark brown eyes from heavy drinking the night before.

"You better not be late for your first day!" his dad yelled from downstairs.

Without putting much thought into it he threw on a grey shirt and denim shorts. He tried flattening his hair with a brush but it was no use with the curls he had.

Once he got downstairs and poured himself a bowl of cereal his father began lecturing him for the third time since Saturday.

"You better not fuck this up again. Whatever you did to piss those blokes off last time, don't do it again. This is your third school in a year and a half. If I—"

"I know, dad. You tell me everyday 'You better not do this or don't do that,'" Zane cut in, doing his best to mimic his father's stern tone.

"Just shut up and don't screw this up, or I'll send you to your mum's."

_She'd be better than this_, Zane thought.

Surprisingly, this was how Zane's father showed he cared. He believed that if he lectured him enough times he might change and then people would leave him be.

His first class was mathematics, the only subject he had ever had problems with more than gym.

"What is this shit?" Zane mumbled to himself while musing over a worksheet handed out at the beginning of class.

"Hmm?" said a boy sitting next to him.

"Oh, nothing," Zane replied immediately though his grimace gave him away.

"That one's simple, mate—the question, I mean," he smiled at him sheepishly. "I'm Ben, by the way."

Ben had thick, flaming red hair that stuck out all over. His eyes were a bright green like the grass after it rained and were hidden behind a pair of oval-shaped glasses. For a ginger his skin was quite tan. _He's cute_, Zane thought.

"I'm Zane. You're good at math and shit, yeah? Maybe you can help me out sometime," he suggested.

"Yeah, maybe we could meet up at lunch or after classes," he agreed just before the bell sounded and everyone left for their next class.

The rest of the day passed by more slowly, with only stares and whispers keeping him company. Besides Ben no one had talked to him really. Several people had talked about him though; he was the new kid in Bristol.

Zane was about to call it quits and sit down alone but then appeared Ben. "Hey mate, we're sitting over there on the lawn," he pointed towards two girls sitting on the grass.

Once they walked over to the girls Ben introduced him: "This is Zane, ladies. We've got math together and he's new."

"Yeah, like everyone's talking about you," said the one with dark, curly hair and blue eyes. "I think I even have a class with you. I'm Bela Kristor."

"Earth to Ruby, say hello," Ben snapped his fingers in front of the other girl. She was small with long auburn hair and caramel colored eyes.

"Sorry, I was looking at that boy over there," she explained. "I'm Ruby."

They all turned to look at a teenager who sat alone and wore a sleeveless black and white Sex Pistols t-shirt and torn up black jeans. His black hair was spiked with gel and shimmered in the sunlight. He had biker boots on along with several bracelets.

"Looks like a total wanker," Ben said.

"Oh, cause you look like a total badass in that cardigan of yours."

Ben looked down insecurely at the orange and white cardigan he wore. It was, in fact, quite wank-worthy.

Everyone laughed, but Ben though he eventually smiled.

"So anyone planning on hitting the party tonight? It's at someone McGuinness's house. Simon, I think. His mum and sister won't be home till tomorrow night," Ben explained.

"I love parties," Ruby said cheerfully.

Ben's gaze turned to Zane and Bela who sat side-by-side. "Sure," they both agreed.

By the time the foursome reached the party a few cars were parked outside and many people were inside and outside the small house. Music roared from inside and you could almost feel the dancing of the party-goers. There was enough booze to hydrate the Army of England and enough drugs to intoxicate the town. For Zane and Ruby, it was heaven. However, Bela and Ben, who had never done drugs, had sex or partied, were quite uncomfortable in this all-too-new atmosphere.

The moment Zane arrived he took a small handful of pulls and guzzled down a beer. It was his best way to escape. Escape his home life, escape from the bullies; escape from the _reality _of his life.

"Come and dance," Zane said to Ben, dragging him by the wrist to the dance floor.

Ben smiled but it was more than obvious he was miles away from his comfort zone. He was a turtle among rabbits and he didn't like it. Zane was oblivious though, already swallowed by the music and the drugs.

Jumping up and down with the beat of the music, Zane felt a jolt of energy from the pills. He couldn't help but think how hot Ben was thought. The last time he kissed a boy he got the shit beaten out of him the next day after school. But with all the drugs pumping in his veins and the adrenaline making his heart race he leaned closer to Ben and kissed him hard. It wasn't soft and there was little passion in it; it was full of energy and hunger. As much as he wanted to he didn't let his tongue linger. He was too caught in the moment to see if Ben was actually enjoying it or not. If he wasn't then it wasn't the best idea to push any further. A sudden push to his chest cut the kiss short though.

"What the hell?" he heard Ben say, but his voice wasn't angry, but confused.

Zane's head throbbed and the music pounded in his ears. Everything was too loud and blurred together. He blinked continuously but his eyes remained on a blurry image of Ben.

Ben still looked confused and probably was still awaiting an answer.

Before he could answer his feet began moving without his permission. He ran away from crowd, for the most part, and went upstairs. Only a few couples were upstairs, save for the passed out drunk kid in the corner.

After a minute or so of wondering upstairs Zane found a seat alone. Instantly he buried his face in his hands, like a dog who knew he'd done something wrong. Beads of sweat showered his brow and he could feel his head still throbbing, yet it didn't hurt. Two or three tears slid down his face like a leaking faucet. _Why am I such a stupid fuck?_ he asked himself.

When he heard footsteps he wiped away the tears that had somewhat dried on his face.

"Word around town is you're gay," said an unfamiliar, Scottish voice.

Zane looked up, preparing to glare at the person. The boy was tall and had wavy gold-blonde hair and bright blue eyes that popped against the darkness. He was smiling down at him, showing off his straight white teeth and dimples.

"I'm Simon, by the way. McGuinness, host of the party," he added. "So since it's my party I'm expecting a discount on that blowjob, mate" he said jokingly.

"Fuck you," Zane mumbled angrily.

"What are you on anyway? No offense, but you look like shit."

"Do you not get it? I want to be alone!" Zane snapped, though he partly didn't answer because he didn't know what he had taken. Most likely it had been MDMA.

Simon looked at him sympathetically. "It's alright to be gay, mate. Fucking hell, what you did down there was brave. I'd never have the guts to kiss a person I'd just met in front of a load of strangers. You know what I think? Gay, straight, whatever, it's all cool. As long as you're spreading some love, yeah?"

"You should be a therapist," Zane joked.

"That's touching. I'll get the depressed chicks, cheer 'em up with help from my friend down south. You can take their boyfriends and woo them with your wicked kissing."

Zane laughed and a moment of silence passed where Simon took a seat next to him. "He's not angry, from what I hear," Simon added in. "The guy you kissed. I think you just freaked him out."

"Thanks," Zane said, smiling.

"It's what therapists are here for," he grinned.

"I'm Zane, anyway."

"Nice to properly meet you, Zane," he extended his hand.

Zane, after some reluctance, took Simon's hand and shook it.

His father didn't ask where he'd been all night, in fact his father didn't even wait up for him. When he finally arrived back home at 2 AM, after taking drugs with Simon and Violet—his best friend. By that time his dad was asleep and there was a bottle of scotch on the round dining room table.

His father was an ass. He was mean. He was demanding. He was ungrateful. And he was incredibly lonely. A tinge of guilt and remorse for his father crept up Zane's spine.

In the morning his father didn't bang on his door like he usually did. Although he didn't have an alarm clock he woke up in time for school, fortunately. When he reached the kitchen downstairs his dad was sitting on one end of the table.

Underneath his father's brown eyes were dark, purple bags. His hair was a mess as well. He resembled Zane yesterday morning. Only a cup of coffee sat in front of him—

"We're being evicted," he said suddenly.

"What?" Zane turned around to face his father quickly.

"We're losing the house. You're mother is coming and she is going to get a house here and you'll live with her," he explained.

"What about you?" asked Zane.

He chuckled coldly. "I dunno. Maybe I'll join the Army," he joked.

"Don't say that."

"I've got work. Your mom will be here in a few days, so get packing."

"Why don't you take the day off?"

"Does it look like I can afford it?" he paused, "I love you, Zane.

Zane's eyes widened and he almost teared up but held them back, causing his throat to become sore. Since he was about twelve his dad hadn't genuinely said he loved him. That's when the seriousness of the situation hit him. How long would it be before he saw father again once he moved in with his mom?

"I love you too, Dad," he croaked.

At school he didn't speak about his family's situation. After school he went to Simon's house and Violet also came. They lit a spliff but even in that relaxed state he couldn't bring himself to say anything of the situation. And so far they were the closest thing he had ever had to true friends. Ever.


	2. Episode 2: Ruby

** A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! I'm really excited about this one, which is a bit longer than Zane's had been. By they way, this is unbeta'd, so I apologize now for any mistakes. Enjoy!**

Just two more strokes. That's all her painting needed and it would be perfect. A masterpiece, her professor said it would turn out to be earlier at college.

"Ruby, we have to leave!" her sister shouted at her as she marched into the small bedroom that also happened to be Ruby's art studio. "Shit! You're not even dressed!" she exclaimed angrily.

On Ruby's bed lay a baby blue floral dress that she was supposed to be wearing. Instead her auburn hair was in a careless bun and little strands hung loosely down her face. She wore a lavender coloured shirt that had a hole in the back and was splashed with old and fresh paint. The too-big gym shorts had been stolen from the last bugger that rented out her eldest sister's old bedroom.

Quickly she threw her ratty outfit on the marble floor and changed into the baby blue dress. While changing she managed to apologize to her sister as well. "I'm really sorry, Christine," she began, "I was painting and—"

"I don't care, Ruby. Besides, it's not even my play, its Dianna's. Apologize to her," Christine explained, cutting Ruby off mid-sentence. "By the way, don't forget about my big speech on Saturday."

"But my art exhibition is on Saturday," Ruby explained, though she knew it was effortless. Although this art exhibit had been planned two months before Christine's speech, her event was less "important". She could come up with a hundred reasons why Christine and the rest of her family should go to her art exhibition but they'd always have something "better" to do. Even when there was barely anything on television her family found something else to do. It wasn't that they meant to neglect her, but it always just turned out that way. By now Ruby was very, _very_ used to it.

"Fine! You go to your stupid art thing on Saturday!" her older sister shouted before storming off angrily.

Ruby sighed. She hated making people angry, even people she barely knew. Although she knew no one and nothing was perfect she had a need to please everyone as if she were perfect.

The play wasn't all that fancy; just a bunch of ten to twelve year olds trying their best at Willy Wonka. Ruby's little sister, Dianna, didn't even have a leading role. Still, most everyone was dressed rather nice for the occasion.

"Warren," Ruby accidentally let out at the sight of Roundview's loner punk.

Warren looked up from where he sat in the auditorium. He wore a leather vest that had band logos painted and sewn onto it. Underneath his vest he wore a white, long-sleeved button-up shirt. His hair was still spiked up like it had been earlier that day at college. This must have been his idea of decent. Ruby liked it thought, and, had it not been for her family, would have worn something that fell on his level of decent.

"Ruby, right?" he replied. She didn't blame him for not being sure, considering they'd only talked twice in the three weeks that school had begun. However, she appeared to be the only one who had talked to him because he intimidated everyone else.

"Yeah," she grinned. "Is your sister in the play?"

"Nah, my brother is. He's playing Mike Teevee," Warren explained.

"At least yours has lines. My little sister is just an extra."

"Without extras films and play would be convincing, though."

"Good point," she agreed. "So where are your parents?"

"Up front," he said, pointing to the only couple in the front row. It took Ruby a moment because she didn't believe they were his parents.

The two had thick blonde hair, far from Warren's spiked black hair. They also wore dorky, horn-rimmed glasses that reminded her of Dumbledore's pair in Harry Potter. The only resemblance they shared with Warren was his misty grey eyes.

"Come and sit with me," he said and though it came out as a demand it sounded somewhat like a beggar's request.

Ruby didn't bother to look over her shoulder at her family. She the seat beside Warren, placing herself in the sixth row which had a pleasant view.

Considering the kids' ages, they did excellent. By the end of it though Warren was mimicking one of the kids. Two redheaded twin girls played Charlie's grandmother, and both sucked. One spoke to loudly to be a convincing grandmother and would've made a much better Violet. The other spoke to softly that Warren's parents probably weren't even able to hear her.

"Where's your family?" he asked, after walking her outside.

"They probably left already."

"Without you?"

Ruby shrugged, "They don't have to wait for me."

"I can walk you home if you want," he offered.

She grinned, "I wouldn't mind some company."

They still had about a mile to go before reaching her house and so far the only sounds were those coming from nature. An owl hooting, a leaf crunching under Warren's shoe, the wind brushing the trees gently.

"Your brother did a brilliant job as Mike," Ruby's voice broke through the quiet sounds of nature.

Warren only chuckled though, "He didn't have to change all that much for the role. He's a bloody wanker." After finishing his sentence he pulled out a black flip-top lighter and lit a cigarette. Once he took a long puff on it he offered it to Ruby who accepted it.

The smell of tobacco swarmed around the two like a storm and although it would've made many cough, it was…relaxing. Walking out in the fresh, cool air at night made them both feel free which they had quickly learned was a seldom feeling to have as a teenager. It had been days since Ruby had had the time to enjoy herself outdoors; the last week she had been working on her latest paintings that would be featured at the Art Exhibition on Saturday. The Art Exhibition that her family would not be attending.

"Warren, would you like to come to my Art Exhibition on Saturday?" she asked him, almost immediately after the idea hit her.

"Art? Hmm, well Saturday. I'm pretty busy, you know. I just have so many friends and there are all these parties I have to go to," he said sarcastically. "I'd love to go," he answered with a grin.

Friday night had finally ended and Ruby had finished her painting. It had come out quite well, though the last few strokes could have come out much better if she had still been in such a creative mood as earlier. Okay, good, great, no matter its quality it would be displayed in the show tomorrow unless Ruby could paint an even better one in a matter of hours.

Although the show didn't begin till one o'clock Ruby had to be there, along with her guests, an hour early. Since her family were no longer going with her, she'd invited Warren, Bela, and Ben and Ben was bringing Violet. It was funny how people she had only met a month ago cared more about her accomplishments than her own family did. Some of them she felt she could call her family already. One of them alone was far better than the family she had now.

Much like his outfit yesterday, Warren wore a white shirt but this time wore a leather jacket over it. The jacket had several designs on it, some which were painted and others were sewn. His loose denim jeans were torn in the knee area and were held up by a belt with spikes on it. A punk through and through.

Ben wore another dorky cardigan that was turquoise and lime green. Whoever was picking them out needed to be baptised in water that had been blessed by fashionistas. However, his glasses were tilted awkwardly and he had a dazed look on his face. It had only just occurred to Ruby that he had gotten high for the first time with Violet, whom Ruby barely knew.

Bela was the only one dressed in clothes that were appropriate for the event. She wore a brown vest that matched her long ankle-length skirt. In other words, her outfit was the complete opposite of Violet's who had dressed quite promiscuously and had bright coloured highlights in her blond hair.

After receiving a few odd looks from the host the group had begun looking around at some of the other artists' work. Among them was a sculpture made out of a torn apart bible and a black and white drip painting.

When people began to arrive a wave of anxiety hit Ruby like a mad tornado. What if some of them thought her work was plain or didn't like the colours she'd used? Her need to please everyone was overwhelming her and she caught herself trying to rearrange the portraits to make them look better. Before she could change anything else though a warm hand took hold of hers.

"What are you doing?" Warren asked. "They look fine to me," he said before she could answer.

"I'm just worried someone won't like them."

"Of course someone isn't going to like them. You can't please everyone. Everyone's opinion is different. If my opinion matters for anything though, they look fantastic to me," he reassured her.

"Thanks," she said after a moment.

Although she wasn't fidgeting with her artwork, nor did she feel the need to, his hand remained around hers.

Violet appeared out of nowhere, a gleam in her eyes that shouted "I'm so fucking high!" "You guys want some? It's the fucking best," the blond offered the two LSD.

"Why not?" Warren said before eagerly taking some.

Ruby had never tried it, but out of all the drugs in the world, this one is the one that interested her the most. So, after Warren took some and before anyone saw Ruby took some. Violet grinned at her, "You'll love it." Her eyes wandered around the gallery for a moment, "Your paintings look wicked, by the way."

Within some time the effects came onto her and she noticed them coming on Warren as well. The walls looked like they were breathing. But the best part was the artwork. All of it, including her own, came to life and became a hundred times more radiant than a rainbow. The sculptures walked in front of her and the paintings had a heartbeat. For the first time she was more than satisfied with her artwork. Even the pieces of shit artwork they had there seemed spectacular. All of it was perfection.

She had a rush, a desire to have more. Gripping Warren's hand tightly she began running around the gallery with each piece running with her. The pair sprinted up and down the three levels of the studio and then finally ran outside. By this time the wind whipped their faces like a belt and Ruby could barely make out Warren's face. The lack of light almost frightened her but the protective hands around her waist made her feel safe. However, she still wrapped her arms around his neck for foreclosure.

"Stay with me," she whispered to him.

When his warm lips met hers a jolt of happiness nearly lifted her off her feet. It felt like they were in the air and it was only them. When she opened her eyes, it was only them, surrounded by complete darkness.

A loud beep woke Ruby at noon. She reached for her phone and quickly pressed a few buttons without bothering to see what they were. Her phone shut up.

"What was that?" came a voice beside her.

She turned her head, though she was still in a dazed half-asleep stage. Next to her lay Warren, his spiked hair now flattened from sleeping on it. His clothes were still on, though she was wearing his leather jacket. After looking down at herself she saw that she was still in her outfit from the previous night; however, she could barely remember a thing from the night.

"Get up," Ruby said, shaking his arm as she sat up on her bed.

"Are we at your place?"

"Yeah," she sighed.

"Let's go downstairs, I'll meet your folks," he said sarcastically.

"They wouldn't care that you spent the night."

After trying to straighten out their wrinkled clothes they headed downstairs.

"You missed a great speech last night, Ruby," called her dad from the living room, having heard them come down the stairs.

"Oh," Ruby simply replied.

"Who's this?" Ruby's mother asked as they entered the living room.

"I'm Warren. The guy who actually went to your daughter's art exhibit last night," Warren answered before Ruby got the chance to.

"Oh, yeah. You had that stupid show last night. You really should've gone to the speech. It was much better," her dad spoke as if he hadn't even heard Warren's smart remark.

"It wasn't stupid!" Warren told him defensively. "It was fantastic! You should've of been there, but you're a dickweed, an ass-licking, pig fucking douche!"

This time her father heard him loud and clear, and even Ruby was shocked at Warren's immediate rage.

"Get the hell out of my house!" her dad roared, causing her mother to flinch.

Warren grasped Ruby's hand and charged out the house without another word but you could see it in his eyes that he had so much more to say.

"Why didn't you tell me they were all such bastards?" he asked after he finally stopped; they must have been half a mile away from her house already.

Strangely, all the words he'd called them, her father especially, didn't anger her. As much as she loved them, deep down she knew they were what he continuously called them.

"I don't care that they don't care," she lied.

"That's bullshit. I could see it last night. You wished someone else was there. Someone who cared. I care!"

"I know you do. Can't we just go to your house?"

Warren sighed, "Fine," he shut his eyes for a moment and then they began walking hand-in-hand to his house.


	3. Episode 3: Liam

**A/N: Sorry this one took a while longer, I've been at my mom's lately and she doesn't have a computer over there. These two weeks coming up are going to be really hectic for me (exams/finals) but I'm going to try to post weekly, as usual. I'm excited to do the next few anyway, so hopefully I'll have enough free time to do so. This is Liam's "episode", and he came in late which is why we haven't seen him. Enjoy!**

_Forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty. _Taking a deep breath, Liam released his grip on the bar and landed swiftly on the floor.

He sighed heavily; only two months ago he was surfing in sunny, warm Sydney, Australia. Now he was in the gloomy shithole known as Bristol. According to his father it was a fabulous opportunity but Liam didn't see it in his perspective. Sure, Liam happened to be a magnificent flanker in football but what did it matter if he was playing for such a shit college? Even the most optimistic of his friends back home would agree that Bristol was anything but fabulous.

Although it was only his first day he expected half the student body to be ignorant dicks and, perhaps, make mock his accent. He was right.

By the time practice came around he'd met most of the team and the Headmaster and Coach were delighted to finally have him. To his face the team acted as if they loved him instantly, however they all truly preferred their former blindside flanker, Carter. Ewan, the hooker, and George, Liam's fellow flanker, became fast "friends" though.

Up until practice Liam almost liked Ewan and George too, but that changed almost immediately.

"Look!" Ewan exclaimed with a big smirk across his face. "It's the faggot and the fatass!" At this Ewan, George and half the team burst out laughing.

Liam turned to look at who Ewan was patronizing, though he didn't join in on their fits of giggling.

Walking right outside the field was a girl and boy. The boy was biracial, half black and white, with curly black hair and brown eyes. The girl was only slightly overweight, no more than 20 pounds, and had waves of brown hair that fell down her face. Grimaces fell on the pair's faces after hearing Ewan's comment.

"Why don't you shut the fuck up?" Liam said angrily, turning to face Ewan, and interrupting the group's laughing.

"Calm down, Sydney," Ewan said, with his same smirk still recognizable on his face.

"No," Liam replied sternly, "You think you can just make fun of them because they're different? You're nothing but a two-faced piece of trash. All of you," Liam's cheeks were red with anger. _I might as well switch colleges now,_ he thought, considering all of them would loathe him from then on out.

"I wouldn't be talking like that. It's only your first day and already you have dozens of guys hating your guts. By lunch I could have you eating with those losers."

Liam had had enough, and without thinking about the dozens of other boys around him, launched his fist into Ewan's face. "Sounds better than sitting with you, asshole," Liam spat.

"You fucking broke my nose, you cunt!" Ewan cried.

George barked something even ruder before tackling Liam into the grass. Fortunately, Liam was far larger and kneed George in the gut before George got the chance to beat his face into the dirt. George gasped for air, Liam having knocked the wind right out of him.

Although more of the team dove into the rumble the Coach appeared before anything else happened.

Instead of having lunch with the "losers" Liam, as well as George and Ewan, spent their lunch hour with the Headmaster.

"Mr. King, I wasn't expecting to see you here again so soon," the Headmaster told Liam. "Especially for something so violent."

"They were calling people fat and gay!" Liam protested furiously.

"Yes, but they didn't hurt anyone, know did they?"

Ewan glared at Liam. His clothes were soaked in blood and he held an icepack to his nose. Blood was still pouring from it too, soon enough the chair would be covered in it as well.

"Don't you have some rule against bullying?" Liam questioned.

"Yes, but our athletes get a bit of special treatment," the Headmaster explained with a wink, "And that is why you are only getting a warning.

Ewan's jaw dropped, "But he broke my bloody nose!"

"No, you fell in practice and broke it. You'll be fine to play in a week," the Headmaster corrected.

On the inside Liam was smirking at Ewan's look of outrage, but his face remained emotionless.

"Now get to class, boys."

As Liam was walking out of the office a girl with think blond hair pulled him over. "Did you really do that to Ewan's nose?" she whispered.

"No, he, uh, fell in practice," Liam answered sarcastically.

"Good for you. What did he do?" He called this guy a faggot and this girl a fatass."

"Oh, that's probably Zane Howard. I'm guessing the girl is Quinn something. They've been hanging out lately," she explained.

"Is he really gay?"

"Yeah, I'm friends with him. He kissed my other friend Ben on the first day," she paused. "Are you into him or something?"

"Oh, no! I'm straight. I just got annoyed with Ewan."

"I'd hate to get on your bad side."

He chuckled, "Anyway, I'm Liam."

"Nice accent, Liam. I'm Violet."

"So, are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Why not?" Violet replied, offering Liam her hand.

He took her hand and they walked outside where they found Ben, Bela and Simon enjoying the last few moments of lunch. Ben looked up at Violet eagerly, almost like a starving puppy who was begging for food.

"This is Simon, and that's Ben and Bela," Violet pointed each of them out for Liam. "This is Liam, guys."

"I heard you broke Ewan Conroy's ribs," said Bela.

Liam laughed, "Just his nose."

"That's still impressive," Simon mused.

After the bell sounded the gang separated, heading off to class. Liam honestly felt like skipping but the fact that it was a Friday and he wouldn't have to come back for another two days kept him going. Although he had already made some real friends, (or at least Violet) the lingering need for the sun and his home remained.

However, Zane happened to be in Liam's next class and Liam had a strong desire to talk to him.

"Hi," he said blatantly, once he took a seat beside him.

"Hello," Zane replied, just as blatantly.

"I'm sorry about what Ewan called you earlier. I broke his nose for you though," he said, a bit of sarcasm in his tone.

Liam managed to get a grin out of him this time. "I heard," he paused, "Why though? Are you gay too or something?"

"No, you're the second person to ask me that today," Liam answered. With some reluctance he continued, "I just, I had a gay friend back in Australia. And hearing Ewan call you…—"

"A faggot."

"Yeah, it reminded me of all the shit my friend had gone through."

"Hmm, pretty touching story. So am I your new gay best friend?"

Liam grinned, "I guess so, sure. I'm Liam."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Zane."

"So who was that girl with you?" Liam asked.

"Quinn? She's just this girl I met a couple weeks ago. Everyone puts her through shit, like me, just cause she's a little overweight."

"I want to meet her."

"The star athlete who's friends with all the outsiders. Nice twist in your story, mate."

Violet dragged Liam, Ben, Bela, Simon and Zane back to her house after that class and Liam didn't mind skipping the rest of the day at all. The house wasn't that big; two bedrooms, one bathroom, and then your basic living room, dining room and kitchen. Violet explains that it's because she's an only child and her mum is rarely home.

Her bedroom is relatively small, but has a surprising amount of drugs. In the corner is a small couch and a bed is on the other side. A short dresser sits beside the bed and on top of it is a box. Inside the box are loads of drugs; narcotics, weed, anything you can think of.

"So what's your poison?" she asked him.

"I don't do drugs. I'm an athlete, you know."

"More for the rest of us."

Everyone else took some, though Bela was a bit reluctant. And the others took quite a large amount too. Within half an hour or so everyone else was submerged in their drug of choice. Bela and Zane were nearly passed out from all the weed they'd smoked and Ben and Simon were running around the small house like children. Ben sat near Zane and Bela, since he had nothing better to do.

_I might as well just do a little. I don't even like being an athlete anymore, _he thought to himself. _I'll probably just sit here and be bored the whole time if I don't. _And at that Ben grabbed a spliff and lit with a lighter sitting on the coffee table. He took a few puffs, coughing the first couple of times.Violet came up behind him as he was taking his last drag, which caused him to nearly choke himself to death.

"I see you gave into temptations," she smiled.

"It's not like one will hurt me, anyway."

"Was it worth it?"

"What? Getting high or ditching class with you?"

"Both."

"Yes, it was worth it."

Violet's eyes were filled with energy and life, something Liam thought he was lacking nowadays. For the few hours he'd known her, she didn't seem upset or angry about...anything. If he could be anything like her, maybe he'd be content. _I'll never be like her though,_ he thought.

Without any hesitation she kissed him. At first it was a hard, quick kiss but it turned soft and passionate once he returned the kiss. Her hands tangled themselves in his brown hair and her tongue tasted of spliff and alcohol. Within a few minutes they were in her bedroom, tearing each other's clothes off. Her shirt was lying on the ground now, and she was working at his. Only for a moment did their lips leave the others.

He kissed her neck while she pushed his pants down. Just as they fell on the bed the door flew open and in walked a giggling Ben. Ben's giggling stopped and Liam and Violet turned to face him. Besides Ben shaking his head the room was silent and frozen.

"I thought you were with me!" Ben shouted after a second.

Violet didn't reply but when Liam looked at her it was obvious that there was some truth in Ben's words. "I—I wasn't…" Violet's voice trailed off when she couldn't find an excuse for either of the boys.

Liam quickly got up in silence, pulling his pants up and then putting his shirt back on. Ben continued to glare at Violet, like he was waiting for an answer.

_She's no different from every other girl out there,_ Liam thought grimly before storming out of the house.

"_I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Liam. I'm not really with Ben, he just…I dunno. It was a fling. I really like you, Liam. Please call me back. I—" _Liam deleted the message before the voicemail finished. He gripped his phone in his hand for a moment, deciding whether or not to call her back. After a moment he pressed the call back button.

"Liam?" Violet answered.

"I thought you were different from most girls," Liam simply said.

"I am! I mean, I'm not a slut, or something. It's not like that. Ben thought I was into him, like I said it was just like a fling! Not even that—" she attempted to explain.

"Just…please, lose my number, Violet."

"No, I'm sorry. I care about you, please just listen to me, or come by…"

"I can't do that, mainly because I'm grounded for doing drugs and skipping college. Bye, Violet," he said, hanging up.


	4. Episode 4: Violet

_I used to be such a burning example,  
I used to be so original.  
I used to care, I was being careful.  
Made sure I showed it to those that I love_

_- Millstone _by_ Brand New_

The first time Violet called Liam he didn't pick up. The eleventh time he answered and told her to lose his number. The first time Violet called Ben he didn't answer as well. By the seventeenth call he sent her a text saying 'fuck u'. However, she hadn't given up on either of the boys. Of course, both continued to ignore her and Violet expected them to even block her number. They could ignore her calls and texts, Violet knew, but they couldn't avoid her at college, especially if she was looking for them.

"Ready?" Simon walked into Violet's bedroom. As usual, they were walking to college together. Violet couldn't remember the last time they hadn't walked to class together. They'd been best friends since they were seven and nothing had torn them apart since.

"Yeah," Violet sighed as she shoved her phone in her pocket. That morning she had called Liam and Ben a total of four times each. Had it not been for college she would've continued to call them, but college was a good thing. There would be no way of avoiding her if Ben had three classes with her and Liam had one.

"So, Shelly," Simon began, calling his mother by her first name, "is going to be gone for God knows how long, which means I have to look after Mini."

"Its fine," Violet said, "I wasn't planning to go out this week anyway. I'll help if you'd like."

It was always like this. Shelly would wonder off with a different man each time and Violet would always be there for Simon, just like he would always be there for her. In fact, Violet would have moved to Leeds over the summer but stayed in Bristol, for Simon. No one knew, besides her aunt, that her mother had died early on that summer and Violet now lived alone. She was supposed to go with her aunt to Leeds, but was able to talk her into letting her stay. All she had was Simon now.

"Look, Violet. You have to get over those two guys. Ben's a fucking homophobe, and Liam is some athlete douche. Why bother tearing yourself up over them?"

"You don't know them like I do. Ben isn't homophobic, he just isn't gay and Zane came on too strong. And Liam…he is anything but an athlete douche," she explained.

"Fine, but I'm throwing a party this weekend and you're going to have the time of your fucking life," Simon grinned.

"What about Mini?"

"What about her? She can party too."

"Need I remind you she is ten?"

"Hey, ten and a half," Simon corrected. "…I just want you to be happy, Vi."

"Thank you."

At that point they arrived at the college, just in time for the bell. Simon didn't have any morning classes with her and so they parted ways.

"Ah, Miss Troman," a voice came up behind Violet.

Violet turned and noticed the Headmaster. He was short for a guy and his hair was graying. "Is this going to take long?" Violet asked impatiently.

"Yes, I hope you don't mind coming into my office."

Violet sighed, but obeyed and followed him into his office. It was too neat. The walls were blank, white save for a framed certificate near his desk.

"It's your grades, Miss Troman. And your behavior…and frankly, yourself entirely. I'm afraid you're failing…all your classes. If your grades and behavior don't improve, you will be expelled."

"Expelled?" Violet exclaimed, shocked.

"Yes. Some of your professors are also requesting a meeting with your mother."

"My mum? Uhm, she's out of town. A business trip."

"That's fine, no worries. When will she be back?"

Violet licked her lips, "Uh…well, she, uh, doesn't know yet. Cause, you know, it all depends if everything goes as planned, her business. So, yeah, I dunno."

"Hmm, that's unfortunate. And you have no other guardian, not even an older sibling?"

"Nope."

"Alright. Whenever your mother knows when she'll be back, please inform me."

"Sure," Violet said rising from her seat and walking out the door.

_Shit, shit, shit. _Where was she going to get a mum from? She could pay someone to be her mum, but where the hell would she get the money for it? And she was fairly positive that the Headmaster had met her mother while she was registering Violet, just before she died. _Shit!_

The first morning class had just ended and Violet headed towards the gym, where Simon would be.

He had just walked out of the locker room. His golden locks were sticking to his wet face and he looked drained.

"Simon! You know, we should go somewhere," she told him, running up to him.

"Okay. Wanna go to yours or mine?"

"No, I mean let's go _somewhere_. Like London. I've only been there a couple of times."

"London? What are you on now, Vi?"

"I'm serious. Let's just run. Me and you, you and me. We could go to Edinburgh instead. It's gorgeous there."

"Bollocks! You're fucking serious. I haven't been there since I was six."

"Exactly! Come on, let's go."

"I'd love to, Vi. Especially with you; you're the only person I'd ever want to run off with, but…I can't leave Mins here. Even when my mum is here, she's never around for long. I'm not gonna leave Mini here with her."

Of course, Mini. Violet should've known he wouldn't leave Mini behind.

Seeing the grimace on Violet's face, Simon said, "Why do you wanna run off now though? Did one of those wankers say something to you?"

"No. I should tell you something. It's—I…my, fuck," Violet was tongue tied. She didn't know why she couldn't tell Simon about her mother. If she wanted it to be kept a secret he would keep it one. But she wouldn't be able to stand the pity or the fact that someone would know she was an orphan. She couldn't do it, not yet. She'd rather him think she was on a bad trip than know this.

Violet turned quickly, ignoring Simon's voice behind her. She didn't turn back around or even pay attention to what he was saying. She just took off. Her feet carried her to an unknown location. She couldn't go home, she knew that. That place, it was the loneliest place in the world. For a house so small, she felt like it was a castle and she was alone. Why else would she throw so many parties?

She ended up in the famous little park where she'd first met Simon. So her subconscious had taken her here. No wonder. It would always be Simon. Even when her mind was on her dead mum, it was still all about Simon. It always was. That's how it is when you love someone, especially when you love them more than you should. He was everything to her. Sometimes she hated that.

When did life get so fucking hard? Did it start when her mum died or when she realized she was in love with her best friend or when she fell under the addiction of drugs? Life was definitely a shitty rollercoaster or maybe it was a spectacular rollercoaster considering all its many strange twists, flips and turns. But it was a rollercoaster, sometimes a traumatic one.

Small tears slid down her cheek slowly, but just a couple. _Don't cry, pull yourself together. _With the back of her hand she wiped them away, drying her face. _Fuck, there's nothing to cry about even…Liar._

"Are you alright?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Oh, yeah, mate, I'm fine," Violet answered immediately. She turned around to find a girl from school. _Quinn._ The girl Liam was so interested in. "Quinn?"

"You know me?"

"Not really."

"I know how it feels. To feel like shit, but things do get better, they did for me."

"Unless you know how to bring people back from the dead and how to make others fall in love with you, well, I don't think so."

"I never said things will go back to normal or take a turn in the direction you want" Quinn said, taking a seat beside Violet on the bench that lay in front of the pond. "I was bullied all through secondary school. I still am a little, but last week a hot Australian guy stood up for me. Things will brighten up, trust me. We all wish we could go back in time when things were easier and we were more innocent. Even if it was just the day before, things seemed brighter then, yeah? I still miss when I was little. There was no such thing as a broken heart and people weren't so judgmental. So yes, things get tough, like fucking tough, but we pull through it. Don't we?"

Violet couldn't find words. Quinn was right, so right. Violet found herself hugging the other girl, her arms wrapped around her tight as if Quinn was going to pull her through it. She didn't know how long she held onto the girl but the silence made it feel like eternity and Violet would've been fine with that, escaping the rest of her life in a place where she felt safe.

Violet let go of Quinn and simply said, in a quiet voice, "Thank you." She remained silent for a moment, "I should go fix things, then," she stood up from the bench.

"I hope things turn out the way you'd like," Quinn replied.

"Thanks…I don't think I would've made it through the day if you hadn't come along."

Violet gently knocked on the oak door in front of her. She was at Simon's house now, but she wasn't even sure he was home yet.

And he wasn't. Mini, his ten year old sister, opened the door. She looked almost exactly like him, except in girl form. For a ten year old, she was _very_ tall, only a few inches smaller than Violet herself. Her long, wavy golden hair fell down her freckled face the way Simon's did and then there was the eyes. Green-blue, blue-green, looking into them was like standing in the middle of the ocean on a sunny day. They shimmered and stood out from everything, a white wall, a black wall, they always popped.

"Hi, Mini," Violet smiled sheepishly.

"Hey. Simon's not home yet. You can come inside though," Mini said, opening the door further so Violet could allow herself in.

Simon's house was a lot like her own. It was small, though it was bigger than Violet's. The kitchen and dining room were one room and beside it was a small living room with a single couch and TV in the middle. Originally there were two bathrooms, but Shelly got one turned into a small bedroom so each of them could have their own bedroom. Shelly had the largest room, Mini had the second largest, her walls decorated in pink, pink and pink, and Simon had the bathroom-bedroom with blue-grey walls.

Mini didn't have to say anything like "Make yourself at home," or "Would you like anything to drink?" This house, this family was like a second home to Violet. Since her mother passed away it _was_ home. Mini just walked back to her room, along with a girl with dark hair and tan skin that Violet assumed was a girl from school.

Within fifteen minutes the door handled twitched and Simon walked through the door. "Violet?" he said once noticing her on the couch.

"My-my mum is dead," she said blatantly.

"What? What the fuck happened?" he said taking a step towards her.

"She, she's been dead. Since the beginning of the summer holiday."

"Violet—" he began sympathetically.

"Please, don't pity me like that. I just had to tell you, I had to tell someone."

"Okay," he only said. If Violet didn't want his sympathy he wouldn't give it to her and if she did want it he would give her his whole heart.

Later that evening Simon threw a party which was part of his plot to get Violet her chance at speaking to the "wankers".

Violet sat in Mini's bedroom, waiting for Mini to trick the two boys into her room. She could her Mini's voice say something along the lines of "I'll show you a really cool trick, just follow me." No one could refuse that little, or not so little, girl.

Violet stood up as the door opened and in walked Liam and then Ben. Behind them Mini shut and locked the door, trapping the three in the room.

"Really?" Liam sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, really," Violet replied. "You fucking wankers need to listen to me!" she blurted out. "Ben, we had nothing really going on. We were party buddies, that's all really. Yeah, I introduced you to drugs and shit, but you took it the wrong way. I don't have feelings for you and barely anything even happened between us. And, Liam, Liam, you douche, fucking prick. I liked you but you didn't even give me a chance to explain myself properly. It's like you wanted me to be like other girls, but I'm not! I'm me, just me!" She spoke so quickly she feared they hadn't even understood.

However, the scowl on Ben's face made her believe that he at least understood what she said. "I'm sorry, Ben," she said after a moment. She never wanted to hurt him but that's all he was to her. A party buddy, a friend. At this point, she didn't think he would want to be her friend any longer.

"Can you just let us the fuck out?" Ben asked angrily.

Violet got the door unlocked and Ben left abruptly, but Liam remained behind.

"You're right," he began. "I did sort of write you off. I—I guess I just wanted another reason to hate this place," he explained. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, if you think this place is bad, you should check out Liverpool," Violet said jokingly. "I'm sorry, too," Violet said after a moment.

"So we're friends, then? Or more than that?"

"I, I honestly dunno. I'd love to be more than that, but, it's just, I'm in love with someone else right now," Violet explained, thinking of Simon.

"Oh," Liam replied, though he didn't seem upset. "Then, friends for now, yeah?"

"Yeah," she said before walking over and embracing him tightly.

**A/N: So, what did you all think? This was probably the darkest one yet, yeah? Of course, there will be darker episodes, especially if I do a second series! By the way, did any of you notice Liv's appearance, or the Ceffy bench from 4x07? Reviews are love!**


	5. Update

**A/N:** This is just an update; I am so, so sorry for not updating in so long. Things have been hectic with exams, trying to sleeps, hockey, etc. My English final which is a novella has taken up a lot of my writing skills but I do plan to have the next chapter in by Wednesday. Hopefully, this week will be easier on me because a lot of students are going to be out of state on a field trip which means classes will be easier and I'll have more time to write. Again, I can't even explain how sorry I am, I feel like total shit for being gone for so long. For those of you who are still reading and enjoying this story, thank you and I will update again soon.


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